Green Dragon Pub, Boston

While outside the Green Dragon, we ran into a couple who were seeing the pub for the first time. They were anxious to have their photo taken with the statue of the Revolutionary Soldier and later told us that their friends on Facebook insisted they visit the iconic pub.

You see… it seems they were from Boston and had spent their lives in Boston, but had never actually visited any of the historic sites within their own city. This was a dare from their friends who felt that the couple should see more of their historically important city.

So, why should they visit the Green Dragon?

As it turns out, the little alley where the pub lives was a witness to many of Boston’s secrets.

Like many other pubs around the world, the Green Dragon was a gathering place; and, in Boston, is known as the meeting place for many of the city’s revolutionaries. The Freemasons used it for years as a meeting place. It became the Headquarters of the Revolution when the Sons of Liberty used the basement for their revolutionary meetings. The Boston Tea Party was planned in its dark interior. It’s from here that Paul Revere left for his famous ride.

The pub that you see on 11 Marshall Street, however, is not the original Green Dragon. The original was destroyed in 1854 and was located a short distance away.

But, this is not the only historical site in the alley.

Next door at 10 Marshall Street is the law offices of Swartz & Shwartz. This building does remain from revolutionary times and is thought to be the oldest brick building in the city. Originally known as the Hancock House, it was once owned by John Hancock and rented out to his younger brother Ebenezer.

Even before this, the building was the home of Boston’s first Town Crier, William Courser (1660) and later owned by James Davenport, the brother-in-law of Benjamin Franklin (1737).

Either way, this is an interesting area of town to explore and my hope is that the couple that we met briefly on our journey will take the time to visit and get to know other sites in Boston’s history and in surrounding towns.